Six new graduates enter AHDB top 10 proven £PLI ranking

Six new daughter-proven sires graduate into the top 10 ranking for Profitable Lifetime Index (£PLI), published today by AHDB. 

These Holstein bulls move up from the genomic young bull rankings and now demonstrate, through their daughters, how they can contribute to improving health, fertility and production efficiency across UK herds.

The top four positions are occupied by newcomers, with OCD Trooper Sheepster leading the way. With a PLI of £779, Sheepster has strong predicted transmitting abilities (PTAs) for production (47.8 kg fat, 35.7 kg protein), alongside an impressive lifespan improvement of +113 days. 

New in second position is Peak AltaSeverus (PLI £757), transmitting outstanding daughter fertility (+12.8) and an excellent ability to lower cell counts and mastitis (-25 SCC, -1 Mastitis).

SDG-PH Delux Dominance (PLI £741) ranks third, offering a short gestation length (-4 days) and good calf survival (+2.8).

In fourth place is the high-fat (+0.33%) Winstar Maserati (PLI £728), whose strong daughter Fertility Index (+9.6) contributes to an excellent HealthyCow of £215.

With over 2,000 UK milking daughters now in his production proof, former long-term frontrunner Genosource Captain holds fifth place (PLI £723), ranking highly for feed-cost-saving traits, including Maintenance (-28) and Feed Advantage (+255).

Plain-Knoll Renegad Trooper, sire of the new number one bull, ranks sixth (PLI £715) and leads the top 20 for Lifespan (+174 days).

Two further new graduates, Progenesis Wesson (PLI £712) and Denovo 17579 GIP (PLI £701), occupy seventh and eighth places, respectively, both excelling in Maintenance (-25).

This figure is among the best for daughter-proven sires, demonstrating how improved genetics are now delivering tangible production efficiencies on UK dairy farms through reduced feed costs for maintenance.

Completing the top 10 are Denovo 16767 Pinedale and Winstar Graziano, tied at PLI £698. Pinedale transmits outstanding milk components (+0.48% fat, +0.21% protein), while Graziano stands out for udder health (-24 SCC, -1 Mastitis).

Marco Winters, Head of Animal Genetics at AHDB, said:

"The six new graduates in the top 10 already have around 7,000 heifers registered in UK milk-recorded herds, with some now milking. Their proven £PLI values deviate by just one point on average from their earlier genomic predictions, highlighting the reliability of genomics and the clear advantage for producers who use genomic bulls early."

A daughter of OCD Trooper Sheepster